CAIRO
Organizers of a months-long sit-in in Cairo's iconic Tahrir Square said they would end their protest if the supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi ended their mass sit-ins in Cairo and Giza.
"Once the pro-Morsi sit-ins in Rabaa al-Adawiya Square and Nahda Square end, we would dismantle our sit-in camp in Tahrir," Mohamed al-Masri, one of the sit-in organizers, told the Anadolu Agency.
The iconic square has been occupied by anti-Morsi protesters for several months.
A month after Morsi was removed by the powerful military, the square remains closed to traffic.
Al-Masri, who is in charge of the vigilant committees tasked with guarding the square, said even if the Tahrir sit-in was dismantled, anti-Morsi protesters would keep a symbolic presence.
"We would keep our presence in Tahrir to protect it against any attempt by the Muslim Brotherhood to take over the square."
Al-Masri dismissed claims that the protesters in Tahrir are armed, saying the square is open to any legal delegation that would like to investigate such claims.
Ever since Morsi's removal by the powerful military, supporters of the deposed president have been holding daily mass demonstrations and sit-ins nationwide to demand his reinstatement.
The two largest sit-ins are in Rabaa al-Adawiya Square in eastern Cairo and Nahda Square in Giza.
On Wednesday, the government mandated the Interior Ministry to take "all necessary measures" to disperse Morsi supporters, saying the sit-ins posed "a threat to national security."
The ministry did not make any mention of the sit-in in Tahrir Square.